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Welding linked to Drayton winery blast

Sam Rigney

A blast that killed two men and severely burned another at a winery three years ago could have been triggered when one of the victims began welding a tank, a coroner has heard.

The explosion at Drayton's Family Winery in the NSW Hunter Valley on January 17, 2008, killed boilermaker Edgar Orgo, 59, and winery owner Trevor Drayton, 52, and left young winemaker William Rikard-Bell with burns to 80 per cent of his body.

An inquest into the tragedy in the Pokolbin winery's production area began on Monday at East Maitland District Court, with the coroner hearing Mr Orgo had been welding a tank that contained a highly flammable liquid.

Barrister Kristina Stern, who is assisting Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillion, said Mr Orgo was welding a metal plate to tank 104, which he was unaware contained spiritus vini rectificatus (SVR) - a type of liquid ethanol used in the production of fortified wine.

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She said the winery had received a delivery of 9000 litres of SVR in the weeks before the explosion, which had been pumped inadvertently into tank 104 instead of tank 106.

Ms Stern said Tomago-based company Perfab Engineering, Mr Orgo's employer, had checked with workers from Drayton's that the tanks Mr Orgo would be working on would be empty and clean of any liquids.

The court also was told there was no tag on tank 104 to indicate its contents and that a valve may have been loosened, allowing the flammable substance to leak out.

Ms Stern said witnesses heard a loud blast and saw a fireball explode in the winery between 8.15am and 8.30am.

The blast threw Mr Orgo from the top of a 2.7 metre forklift, where he had been working.

He suffered severe burns, two broken legs and a broken wrist.

An autopsy revealed that his injuries, as well as a pre-existing heart condition, may have contributed to his death.

Mr Drayton's body was found underneath the tipped-over forklift truck, and an autopsy revealed he had died almost instantly.

Mr Rikard-Bell, who had been walking behind Mr Drayton, was engulfed in flames and ran 20 metres to dive into a nearby dam.

He was present in court on Monday with his partner, along with Mr Orgo's widow and several members of the Drayton family.

Mr Dillion, Ms Stern, Detective Senior Constable Greg Harding, Detective Senior Constable Peter Muscio and several legal representatives went to the Drayton's Family Winery for a site inspection on Monday afternoon.

The inquest will continue on Tuesday when members of the Drayton family, witnesses and Rural Fire Service officers are expected to give evidence.